Plus: Ceva hit by a jaw-dropping $18M cargo theft wave, FMCSA revives its fatal crash study after two decades, Trump fires an STB board member ahead of the $85B rail merger review, and more.
Funny Freight Friday: Only your 8th grade e-mail address will do.
FMCSA is launching its first fatal truck crash causation study in nearly two decades, aiming to pinpoint driver, vehicle, and environmental factors shaping deadly crashes and future safety policy.
Trump has fired STB member Robert Primus ahead of the Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger review, drawing condemnation from rail unions, advocates, and with some warning of political interference.
President Donald Trump has dismissed Surface Transportation Board (STB) member Robert E. Primus, a move that has sparked widespread criticism and raised questions about political interference at a time when the board is preparing to review the largest railroad merger in U.S. history.
Primus, one of two Democrats on the five-member board, confirmed his firing in a LinkedIn post and in interviews. According to PBS, he said he was informed by email from the White House on Wednesday night that his position was terminated.
“I’ve been pro growth across the board in terms of encouraging growth in the freight rail network, which in turn will grow our national economy,” Primus told the Associated Press, via PBS. “So if that’s not being in line with America first, then I don’t know what America he’s saying is first.”
According to Trains Magazine correspondent Bill Stephens, Primus intends to challenge his dismissal, calling it “legally invalid.” Stephens noted that no member of the Surface Transportation Board or its predecessor, the Interstate Commerce Commission dating back to 1887, has ever been removed from office.
The White House defended the decision. Spokesman Kush Desai said, as reported by PBS:
“Robert Primus did not align with the President’s America First agenda, and was terminated from his position by the White House.”
The dismissal has drawn sharp criticism from unions, lawmakers, and rail passenger advocates. PBS reported that the SMART-TD union described the move as “unprecedented, unlawful in spirit, and [reeking] of direct interference from hedge funds and the nation’s largest rail carriers.”
The Rail Passengers Association issued its own statement condemning the firing. President and CEO Jim Mathews said:
“That violates the law. Under the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 … Board members can only be removed for cause: specifically, inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. Removing Mr. Primus for policy disagreement undermines that independence and sets a dangerous precedent.”
Mathews added that the decision “raises serious questions about political interference in what is meant to be an independent regulatory agency,” particularly with the Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger awaiting review.
The STB is preparing to consider Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern, which would create the nation’s first transcontinental freight railroad and reduce the number of Class I railroads to five.
Primus has not taken a formal position on the merger, but PBS reported he previously opposed Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern over competition concerns. “We don’t need to merge to increase competition,” Primus said. “We need to understand that we have to grow.”
Source: PBS | Bill Stephens/LinkedIn | Rail Passenger Association
CPKC and BNSF reject mergers, warning of risks that could affect supply chains.
CSX faces rising investor pressure for consolidation while launching new intermodal services with BNSF, fueling speculation of coast-to-coast rail mergers after Union Pacific’s $71.5 billion Norfolk Southern deal.
Union Pacific’s $85 billion Norfolk Southern merger and Hub Group’s $51.8 million Marten Intermodal deal signal major shifts in U.S. freight, raising questions on competition, costs, and capacity.
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are in early potential merger talks
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